Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Boise?
Most tree removal on private property in Boise needs no city permit. Trees in the public right-of-way are a different animal. Those belong to the city, and any work that could harm one needs the City Forester's permit first.
Does Boise require a permit to remove a tree in your own yard?
No, not for a tree growing entirely on private property. Boise's tree ordinance is written around public trees, and a maple in the middle of your back lawn is not one of them. You can have it pruned or removed on your own say-so.
The permit question starts to matter the moment the trunk is standing on city land: the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb, a park, or any other right-of-way. That strip catches people out. You mow it, you water it, and the city still counts the tree in it as public. Boise city code requires a permit from the City Forester before any activity that may harm any part of a public tree, which is broader than it sounds. Pruning counts. So does trenching through the roots for a new sprinkler line.
How do you tell a street tree from a yard tree?
Stand on the sidewalk and look at which side of it the trunk sits on. Boise Community Forestry describes street trees as the ones along rights-of-way and city streets, which in most Boise neighborhoods means the strip between the sidewalk and the curb. Behind the sidewalk is normally yours.
If there is no sidewalk, or the trunk straddles the line, do not guess. Call Community Forestry at (208) 608-7700 and ask. It is a free question with an expensive wrong answer.
Who removes a dead street tree, and who pays for it?
The city does, and it does not bill you for it. The City of Boise states that Boise City is responsible for the removal of dead, diseased or hazardous trees from public rights-of-way at no cost. Here is how it runs. You call for a free inspection. A Forestry Specialist looks at the tree. If removal is warranted, a public notice goes up on the trunk so the neighbors get a window to ask questions. If removal is not warranted, it does not happen, and no private crew can override that.
Day-to-day care of that same tree lands somewhere else. Under the city's own pruning program, routine maintenance pruning, including clearance for vehicles and pedestrians, is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. So the city owns the hazard and the emergency, and the branch scraping the top of your neighbor's truck is on you.
Can you prune a street tree yourself?
Not on your own initiative. The permit requirement covers pruning, not just removal. What the city offers instead is straightforward: a homeowner can get a free permit to hire a Boise City Licensed Tree Service to prune the tree at their own expense. You choose the crew and you pay for the work. The permit is what makes it legal. That is the normal path for a street tree that needs clearance work, and it is the path we use.
If a limb is already down or hanging over the street after a windstorm, that is an emergency call, not a permit question. Deal with the hazard, sort the paperwork after.
What the city requires of the crew that touches a public tree
On a private backyard job, the license question is about your own protection. On a right-of-way job it is a legal requirement, and it is specific. Anyone in the commercial business of pruning or removing trees located on public property in Boise needs a Tree Pruning or Removal License from the city. The application calls for a Certificate of Liability and Property Damage Insurance at or above the city's published minimum, and current proof of Arborist Certification with the International Society of Arboriculture. Letting either lapse is grounds for the City Forester to suspend or revoke the license.
Boise Tree Boys is licensed with the City of Boise and carries Public Works Contractors License # 040252-D-4. The crew includes ISA Certified Arborists who are Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and the company is fully insured and bonded. If you are collecting bids for anything in the right-of-way, ask every bidder for those same two documents before you sign. A cheap bid from an unlicensed outfit stops being cheap the second the city notices.
What does the paperwork actually cost you?
Nothing, in the cases the city publishes. Permits for planting on public property are free of charge and the city asks for them at least a week ahead. The homeowner permit to hire a licensed service to prune is also free. The cost of the job is the crew's price for the work, which you can size up on our Boise cost guide before you call.
Rules the city does not write
Two more sets of rules can apply to a tree that is entirely yours, and neither one lives in the city tree code.
Do historic districts have extra rules?
They can. The City of Boise notes that if you live in a historic district and are considering tree removal, you likely need a Certificate of Appropriateness. That is a design-review approval and it is separate from anything Community Forestry issues, so a "no permit needed" answer from the forestry side is not the whole answer if your block is inside a designated district. Confirm it before the crew is on the calendar.
What about HOA and subdivision covenants?
Those are private agreements and the city does not enforce them, but your neighbors will. Plenty of Treasure Valley subdivisions require board sign-off before a mature tree comes out, particularly street-facing ones. The penalty for skipping that step is a dispute rather than a citation, which is not obviously better. Read the covenants first if your neighborhood has them. Finding out at the board meeting costs more of your time than reading them does.
Once the permission question is settled, the next one is usually whether the tree needs to come out at all. Our guide to the signs a tree needs removal walks through what an arborist is actually looking at, and removal versus trimming covers the cases where pruning solves it. If it does come out, here is what tree removal in Boise involves, and when to trim trees if pruning is the answer instead.
Boise tree permit questions, answered straight
The questions Boise homeowners ask before they pick up the phone.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my own Boise yard?
Which trees around my house count as public trees?
Who do I call about a street tree in Boise?
Does the City of Boise charge to remove a hazardous street tree?
Can I prune the street tree in front of my house?
What does the city require of a tree service working on public trees?
Do historic districts change the tree removal rules?
What about HOA rules and subdivision covenants?
How far ahead should I ask for a tree permit in Boise?
What happens if a public tree is damaged without a permit?
Not sure whose tree it is?
Tell us the address and where the trunk sits and we will tell you straight whether it is yours or the city's, before anyone gives you a number. Mind if we take a look? Free estimates from a licensed, insured, family-owned Boise crew with ISA Certified Arborists on staff. If the answer is that you do not need us, no hard feelings.
(208) 902-2295Last updated .